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Mary Graybill, APR, Fellow PRSA,
Graybill Communications
310-441-2899
mary@graybillcom.com
100th/442nd/MIS Veterans Unveil Education Center Concept, Celebrate Anniversaries
New Go For Broke National Education Center features Legacy Wall
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 8, 2009)– At the same time Go For Broke National Education Center paid homage to its history on June 6, 2009, it unveiled the concept design for its next milestone, a new headquarters with a black-granite Legacy Wall that will stand beside its landmark Go For Broke Monument. Founded by veterans of the legendary 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and other heroic units, the Go For Broke National Education Center celebrated its 20th anniversary and the Go For Broke Monument observed its 10th. In her keynote address, United States Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downtown Los Angeles) hailed the organization for its work and praised the Japanese American veterans for their bravery and sacrifices in World War II service.
"I congratulate the Go For Broke National Education Center on 20 years of success with its educational programs," said Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who secured federal funds for the center's teacher training workshops and planned educational center. "It's a pleasure to work with such a wonderful organization dedicated to preserving for future generations the history of the Nisei veterans and their stories of bravery and sacrifice on behalf of our country. It has truly been a pleasure to work in partnership with the veterans and Christine Sato-Yamazaki, the center's president and chief executive officer, toward fulfilling the center's mission, and I look forward to continuing this important effort to keep the Nisei veterans' proud legacy alive."
The concept model for the state-of-the-art 14,999 sq. ft. Go For Broke National Education Center and Legacy Wall to be built on Temple Street on the north side of the Monument was unveiled immediately after the Congresswoman's remarks. Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry joined veterans, GFBNEC leadership and, representing future generations, Kiana Noda, granddaughter of Sam Fujikawa, and Scott Tofukuji, grandson of Tets Asato, to unveil the tabletop model.
"This is an exciting day for us," said Christine Sato-Yamazaki, GFBNEC president and chief executive officer. "Having a building of our own that's designed for our unique needs is going to enrich our services nationwide. It gives us a permanent home for our educational programs, our always growing Hanashi oral history library and an interactive immersive exhibit on the Nisei veterans. It makes us accessible to everyone, including visitors to the Monument, tourists, teachers and especially students."
The Legacy Wall of the new GFBNEC headquarters is being created for 15,000 names of veterans of Japanese American ancestry who served the United States during World War II. Names on the Legacy Wall will be in addition to the more than 16,000 already engraved on the Go For Broke Monument.
"Our education objective is to honor and teach the story of all who served, from those deployed in European and Pacific campaigns to those who supported the war effort from the Mainland United States and Occupied Japan," Sato-Yamazaki said.
GFBNEC expects to break ground for its Go For Broke National Education Center in fall 2010 and to complete it in summer 2012. Including the building site, design and development work that has been done or is in progress, cost for the building is estimated at $20 million. The building designer is HMC Architects and the interactive exhibits are being created by Jack Rouse Associates (JRA). Both firms have noteworthy track records for their work with educational and teaching facilities.
The anniversary celebration and unveiling were staged at the Go For Broke Monument, located at 160 N. Central Avenue in the Little Tokyo District of Downtown Los Angeles. Film and television star George Takei emceed the event, continuing in a role he played in 1991 for the unveiling of the Monument design and on June 5, 1999 when the black-granite landmark was completed. Highlights of this year's anniversary program included a lei presentation and ceremony honoring GFBNEC's founding board members. The morning celebration was followed by an anniversary luncheon where the nonprofit organization presented its prestigious Go For Broke awards. Honorees included Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), Congressman Adam Schiff (D-San Gabriel Valley), Congressman Mike Honda (D-Santa Clara County), Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D-Honolulu) and former California Assemblyman George Nakano (D-Los Angeles South Bay).
The Go For Broke National Education Center has developed educational and preservation programs based on experiences and oral histories of Japanese American soldiers of World War II that are used in California schools and nationwide. Oral histories and other learning tools feature the veterans and their stories as living examples of bravery, sacrifice and the values of citizenship, patriotism and leadership. These Nisei or second-generation soldiers rose above suspicion and mistrust to fight and sacrifice themselves for honor in defense of the United States of America. Their story resonates today with multiple generations of Americans and ethnicities. Additional information about the Go For Broke National Education Center is available at www.goforbroke.org.
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